Microsporidia are emerging pathogens that are seen in both immunocompromized and[unreadable] immune competent hosts. They are important pathogens in the setting of HIV infection[unreadable] and are also pathogens in agriculture and aquaculture. Due to their ability to be[unreadable] transmitted by food and water they are on the class B bioterrorism list. The Second[unreadable] International Congress on Microsporidosis will be held June 24 -26th Institute of[unreadable] Cytology, Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg, Russia. This congress will[unreadable] bring together the diverse research community that works on the Microsporidia[unreadable] including: physicians, molecular biologists, cell biologists, and parasitologists who work[unreadable] on insects, fish or humans. Research groups from Europe, Russia, Asia, Africa, Canada,[unreadable] and the USA have all agreed to participate. We expect this congress will result in[unreadable] beneficial discussions on the problems involving molecular biology approaches to[unreadable] identification of Microsporidia. In addition, the impact of sequence analysis of different[unreadable] microsporidian species on theories of early eukaryotic evolution, the place of the phylum[unreadable] Microsporidia in the macrosystem of Eukaryotes, as well as phylogenetic interactions[unreadable] between Microsporidian genera, and comparative genome studies, will be discussed. A[unreadable] comparison of host parasite interactions in invertebrate and vertebrate hosts should be[unreadable] helpful in elucidating pathogenic mechanisms of these organisms. The utility of different[unreadable] therapeutic and control strategies as well as new therapeutic agents will be presented. As[unreadable] more data on biochemistry and physiology of Microsporidia are accumulated, the rapid[unreadable] dissemination of this information will be important in advancing research on these[unreadable] pathogens. Exchanging information on in vivo and in vitro models being utilized in[unreadable] studies on microsporidians, discussions on their advantages and disadvantages is[unreadable] anticipated to be of practical interest for many participants. Overall, the goal of this[unreadable] congress is to foster the exchange of information between these diverse groups of[unreadable] scientists leading to advances in research on these emergent pathogens.